Traverse City, Mich. – Aug. 7, 2021 – Adult equitation riders were put in the spotlight Saturday, August 7, at the Flintfields Horse Park for the continuation of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF), presented by CaptiveOne Advisors. Wrapping up the Tribute Equine Nutrition Adult Equitation division, Amelia Bergeron and Halouet claimed the championship tricolor out of a competitive field during Week V.
Riders made their way into Hunter Ring 2 Saturday morning for the first pinning of the Tribute Equine Nutrition Adult Equitation division, the flat class. Demonstrating correct position through the walk, trot, sitting trot and canter, Bergeron got a strong start by winning the blue ribbon for her efforts on the flat with Halouet. Continuing their winning ways, the duo laid down two seamless trips to take the top spot in both over fences classes to clinch the championship.
Halouet, a 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, and Bergeron have been partnered together for a year and a half. The pair made the transition from the junior equitation ranks to the adult equitation in January of 2021, and have been racking up top placings in Ariat Adult Medal, THIS NHS Adult Medal and the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search across the East coast since then.
Reserve honors for the Tribute Equine Nutrition Adult Equitation division went to Grace McReynolds aboard Kabaltic, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding. McReynolds rode to fourth place on the flat and second place in both over fences rounds to ultimately be rewarded with the reserve championship.
Equitation competition will continue Sunday, August 8 with the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal and ASPCA Maclay taking to the Jumper Annex at 8:00am. The highlight event of the week, the $137,000 Southern Arches Grand Prix CSI3*, will take place in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring Sunday afternoon, marking the conclusion of Week V of GLEF.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Amelia Bergeron – Tribute Equine Nutrition Adult Equitation division champion
On Halouet:
“My horse’s name is Birdie, his show name is Halouet. I have had him for like a year and a half now. I did all of the junior equitation with him and now we are doing the adult equitation! I love him, he is really good.”
On her rounds:
“[Halouet] was awesome today. I kind of knew when we were coming out for the flat, he felt really solid in that, and that normally sets us up for a good couple of rounds. He was really good and he felt really awesome today. I liked both the courses and thought they added more complexity than sometimes they have in the past. I liked the bending line, which we did 11 [strides] in that both times. I got to watch a couple of people go to see how that rode. There were also some nice rollbacks and oxers. [The course] was really pretty today, so I was happy with that.”
On competing at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors:
“This is our fourth week here and I have loved it here! We are from Georgia and the weather there is pretty miserable right now, so it’s really nice to be somewhere where it’s cool outside. It’s so pretty here and there are things to do outside the horse show, so I have had a really great time here.”